Kissing the RedHead
by hermyd
Summary: James is in love with Lily, but Lily will not come to her senses until she loses him. But in the course of discovering how she feels, the two spend a large amount of time together and James gets to kiss the redhead. But will that be enough for him...
1. In Which Lily Tries to Ignore James

Disclaimer: Despite numerous wishes, Harry Potter never has and never will be mine. Do I look rich to you?

A James Prologue

James walked confidently onto Platform 9 ¾, his hazel eyes roaming over the crowd of students that were standing in front of the scarlet steam engine, searching for a hint of bright red hair. James was about to enter his final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was more determined than ever to win over the lovely Lily Evans. Lily was the girl of his dreams with her long flowing red hair and her bright green eyes, and James had been in love with her for years. He was convinced that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. The only problem with this brilliant plan was that Lily didn't seem to agree. For as long as he had been madly in love with her, Lily Evans had hated James Potter with every fiber of her being. James let out a sigh of depression when he couldn't find his lady love on the platform.

_Maybe she'll learn to like me this year._ He thought hopefully._ Maybe she'll realize that I only act like a big-headed jerk around her because she makes me so nervous, that I only act arrogant because I'm trying to impress her. Not that it has worked for me… hmm… maybe I should try a different strategy this year. She's got to see that we belong together… _

Kissing the Red Head

Chapter 1: In Which Lily Tries to Ignore James

_This year is going to be wonderful. I'm Head Girl and can finally stop Potter from annoying me too much. He puts one toe out of line and I'll give him detention. Oh, what a happy thought! I wonder if it is evil to be this happy about giving someone else detention? I mean, I'm sure he'll deserve it, he usually does. Hopefully he'll have grown up a little over the summer and he will leave me alone this year. But something tells me that is not likely, more like wishful thinking. Pity. Oh well, I can fantasize about Potter finally leaving me alone later, now I have to go meet the Head Boy. Hope it isn't a Slytherin. I don't think I could spend a year working with Snivellus… I mean Snape. Especially as the Heads have their own dorm. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be someone like Remus. Although, that might mean that I have to see Potter more than usual. I'll hope for a nice Ravenclaw, they are nice. As long as it's not…_

_Potter! What is he doing here? No! It can't be! No way would Dumbledore make him Head Boy! Oh no, my life is ending, I can't survive a year of him. What is the boy rambling about now? Hmph! He actually is trying to have a conversation with me. Like I am going to sit here and tell him how my summer was. That is none of his business. And he'll stay away from me if he knows what is good for him. Besides, I've come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with the annoying git is to just ignore him completely. I am not going to give him the satisfaction of speaking to him. I bet he only bugs me to try and get to me anyways. He can't possibly mean any of it._

"Lily? Are you even listening to me?" _No! I'm ignoring you. Can't you see that?_

She shot him a scathing look and didn't reply, then abruptly stood up and headed for the door. _There is no way I am going to sit here with Potter!_ But he caught her arm before she reached the door. _I'm not even going to give him the pleasure of yelling at him. I think I'll continue avoiding talking to him. Maybe it will annoy him enough that he'll stop annoying me. _She glared at him, only to receive quite a shock when she looked in his eyes. She expected to see his trademark smirk on his face, but he was instead looking at her intently, his eyes full of burning passion. The look scared her. Just as she was rethinking her plan to ignore him, _maybe yelling would be more effective…_, James suddenly swooped down and planted his lips right on hers. Before she even had a chance to realize what was happening, he had disappeared out the door, leaving her standing in a daze.

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Lily was sitting in the couch of the Head common room, staring moodily into the fire, when James walked in late that night. At the sight of him she jumped up and quickly walked towards the door of her room, but he beat her to it. There was fire smoldering in her eyes. Angry fire.

"Lily, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have done that… it's just that I really like you and you looked so beautiful and I really couldn't stop myself…"

_Oh, he is so on dangerous ground! The prat should get away from me before I do something I might later regret. Actually, on second thought, I don't think I would regret anything I might do to him. After all, he does deserve it._

"Can't you just give me a chance, Lil?" _He did not just call me that!_ "I just know we are meant to be togeth…" He never even finished his sentence, for her hand met the side of his face in a furious slap. Out of instinct he reached out and deftly caught her small hand in his, preventing her from attacking him again.

The fire in Lily's eyes intensified. Angrily she brought her other hand up to attack him, but James caught it before she made contact with his face again. Her eyes narrowed at him. _Oh, he is going to get it!_

James stared at her for several seconds, then twisted her around and slammed her body against the door of her room. She looked up at him, surprise overtaking the anger in her eyes. And before she could say anything, James had once again placed his lips firmly on hers. This kiss was not quick like the last one, it was slow and passionate. Or it was until Lily brought her knee up to connect with his groin, effectively getting him to let go of her. As James collapsed in pain on the floor Lily practically ran into her room and slammed the door, before sliding down to sit on the floor and burying her face in her hands.

_The prat! I slap him and he kisses me! What made him think he could do that! He deserves whatever he gets. Stupid boy should learn to keep his lips well away from my own… even if he is a good kisser. But that is entirely besides the point. He needs to leave me the hell alone. I'm starting to think that my tactic of not speaking to him may not be working very well. Perhaps I should go back to screaming at him? I'll have to think about that one. He had just better leave me alone tomorrow. I'm liable to start cursing him if he keeps trying to kiss me and talk to me. _

A/N: This is a relatively short fic that just popped into my head one day. It is already written so updates should be frequent. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think.


	2. In Which Lily Meets an Annoying Plant

Chapter 2: In Which Lily Meets a Highly Annoying Plant

_Ahh! First day of class! I love the first day of class. Am I pathetic to admit that I missed school over the summer? Or maybe it was that I realized that even school was better than constantly being around Petunia… that idea has serious merit. But it isn't my fault if she thinks I am a freak of nature, screams whenever I enter the room, and is dating a large man with no neck and even less brain named Vernon. Thankfully, I won't have to live with her next summer, she is getting married over Christmas Hols, and I can move out next year if I want. Maybe the girls and I can get our own apartment… that would be nice. We learned about some pretty cool things today. The process to become an Animagus seems really hard—why is it that the Marauders weren't even paying attention and they got all the answers right? That is so not fair! And that Fidelius Charm sounds interesting. Not that I can think of anything that would need to be protected like that. _

_Hmmm… I think I might be lost. I don't remember this corridor. That's what I get for thinking too much instead of paying attention to where I am walking. Hey! Wait a minute! Why can't I move? Oh, this is not good… I don't see anyone around, maybe I hit an old curse or something. I wonder if I can get a message to someone. Didn't we learn in DADA that the Patronus could communicate? I can produce a Patronus. Okay… who to send it to. Prof said it had to be someone else who could produce a Patronus. Drat! The only other person who could was Potter. I do not need his help! _

_Okay, I've been stuck here for like five minutes. Maybe I should just ask him for help. Man, I am never going to hear the end of this!_

"Expecto Patronum!" A large white stag erupted from the end of Lily's wand. She watched it go wistfully.

_I never did figure out why my Patronus was a stag, did I? Hmmm…it's supposed to represent something that we cling to, something that would protect us. I don't think I've ever met a stag. Oh, well. No need to worry about that now. Oh look, my knight in shining armor has arrived. Ha!_

"Lily, my dear. Could you use a little help?"

"Obviously. Why else would I call you, of all people."

"Well, because I am the only other student capable of producing a Patronus and thus capable of receiving your message."

"Look at that, folks. He is smart." _Why is he looking at me like that?_

"Incidentally, why is your Patronus a stag?"

"I don't know, I've never even seen one before."

"Are you sure about that?" _He looks a little odd, and what the freak is he talking about! Of course I've never seen a stag before?_

"Yes, Potter. Now please, just get me out of here."

"Well, what seems to be the problem."

"The fact that I can't move."

"Well, yes, that is what usually happens when you are standing under magical mistletoe."

"What! It's freaking September!" He didn't respond, he just pointed above her head.

_Mistletoe! You have got to be kidding me! Oh, man! Now he is going to try to kiss me again, and I can't stop him because it is the only way to get out of here. And… Freak!... magical mistletoe only releases the person if both people are involved in the kiss. That means I have to kiss Potter! Oh, my life is so horrible!_

James was standing there smirking at her.

"My dearest Lily, I do believe this means you are going to have to kiss me."

"In your dreams, Potter."

"Already done that, my dear." _Ewww!_

"Well, I am not kissing you willingly. Actually, I find this corridor a perfectly nice place to live. I think I'll just stay here."

"Suit yourself. I'm just going to sit right over here until you let me help you."

_Yeah right! I am never going to kiss him, well kiss him willingly. Since we have already seen that Potter doesn't care whether or not I am a willingly participant in a kiss. He can sit there all he wants… so not going to happen._

_Okay, this floor is getting a little uncomfortable. How long has it been? Only half and hour! How am I supposed to live here if I get this uncomfortable after only 30 minutes! Ahhh! I hate my life._

_You know, maybe it wouldn't be so horrible if I let him help me. I mean he is a pretty good kisser… No Lily! Bad Lily! Stop thinking evil thoughts. Someone else is bound to walk by. I mean, I'd rather kiss Black than Potter! Black! Anyone but Potter! Oh please let someone else walk by!_

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_Well, I think we've been here for nearly two hours… I don't think this corridor is ever used because I haven't seen anyone else. Except for Potter, of course. He is just sitting over there staring at me. Man, I wish he would leave. He is making this so much worse than it is._

"Lily," _Wait! Why is he talking? This is not good. We are both supposed to sit in an uncomfortable silence until someone comes along who can rescue me. _"Why do you hate me so much?" She stared at him in shock.

"You know why Potter."

"Apparently not." _He must be stupider than I thought. I only tell him once an hour. Hmm, he looks a little depressed. I don't think I've ever seen him without a smirk on his face. He looks a lot better without it._

"You are an arrogant, bullying, jerk who only thinks of himself and his close friends. You have no regard for the feelings of those around you. Did you ever stop to think about what the people you prank must feel like?"

"I only really prank the Slytherins, Lily."

"So, they are still people, you know. They don't deserve what you do to them." He stared at her for a few seconds.

"You really don't get it, do you? Most of my pranks are harmless, even the victim is laughing along with us. The only people we prank… ahh... maliciously, are people like Snape. People obsessed with the Dark Arts, people openly boasting about how they support Voldemort, people who can't wait to get out there and start killing along with him."

"Oh." _I never realized that. Snape does kind of deserve it. And besides, I've never seen him actually hurt Snape. Despite the many times Snape has viciously cursed him and hurt him. Well, that puts a new perspective on things. And I do recall a great many times when he started after Snape because Snape hurt me. In fact, every time that Snape called me a Mudblood Potter was there in an instant snarling at him to apologize. Interesting._

"Alright, Potter. Get me out of this thing."

James looked up at her, startled. But he slowly walked towards her and sat down on the floor next to her. He placed one hand tentatively on her cheek and looked up into her eyes.

"I'm sorry that it had to be me that rescued you, Lily."

He placed a quick kiss on her lips. Then pulled away and stood up, helping Lily up. Then he turned and walked away.

"Umm, Potter. I still can't move." James stopped and slowly turned back around. He walked slowly back to her.

"That's odd."

"Not really, if you think about it. I mean, it's not even Christmas. So someone had to put this here intentionally, and it wouldn't surprise me if they made it so that a quick kiss wouldn't be enough to release the unhappy victim."

James stared at her, the thought that he needed to pound Sirius running through his mind briefly. It sounded like a Sirius joke. But James didn't move to kiss her again, it was just to much for him to hope that this was true. Sure, he had kissed her last night in their common room, and that wasn't a short kiss. But it makes a huge difference when the person you are kissing is actually kissing you back. But Lily appeared to be sick of waiting, so she did the only sensible thing. She kissed him.

James appeared to be so startled that he momentarily forgot why she was kissing him. All that was going through his head was that Lily Evans was kissing him. And so he did the reasonable thing. He pushed her back against the wall and started kissing her hungrily, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

_Oh wow! Okay, I think I might be liking this. I mean, Potter is a really good kisser! Wait! Potter, I'm kissing Potter. Oh no, must stop!_

Coming to her senses, Lily pushed James hastily away from her, thus causing James to remember why he had been kissing her in the first place. He backed quickly away from her, his eyes wide, and without a word he went sprinting down the hall.

A/N: I hope you like this chapter! As always, happy reading and let me know what you think.


	3. James Fulfills his Duties as Head Boy

Chapter 3: In Which James Fulfills his Duties as Head Boy

Lily was sitting in the Head Common Room, absentmindedly staring into the fire. And she was doing some serious thinking.

_Man, why did he have to be such a good kisser! And it felt… I don't know, right to be in his arms like that. But I hate him! I am sure of that. Even if the reason I keep telling myself I hate him might have all been a misunderstanding. It did make sense what he said about Snape and the Slytherins. I mean, I know he has gone too far sometimes, but he is a teenage boy, he is allowed to do that without me freaking out, right? Oh, I wish this weren't so darn confusing. But that kiss… _

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Several days later Lily and James were walking along their nightly patrol. There was an awkward tension in the air, a tension that had been there ever since that passionate kiss in the corridor that both of them refused to talk about. But that kiss was on both of their minds. James had found himself fantasizing about it, fantasizing about a time when Lily would want to kiss him, would never push him away, would be his completely. And very much against her will Lily would find herself dwelling on the few minutes she had spent wrapped up in James' arms, and she would spend hours furiously battling with herself inside her head, trying to figure out exactly what she felt with regards to the Head Boy. Needless to say, these inner battles were making her quite angry with herself and the world, and particularly with James.

Wandering aimlessly through the corridors, the two Heads were only halfheartedly looking for rule breakers. But when they hear a murmur of voices ahead of them, both shook themselves out of trances and proceeded, wands raised, towards the voices. They hesitated before rounding the corridor, listening to the voices. At first it appeared to be just regular rule breakers, but when James recognized the oily voice of Snape accompanied by the voices of several other Slytherins, his blood went cold. From the sound of it there were at least ten of them. There was no way that he and Lily could take on ten Slytherins.

Without thinking, he dragged Lily back down the hall and shoved her into an alcove.

"James! What are you doing?" _He has never backed down from a fight! What is he thinking!_

"Be quiet!" he hissed at her, stepping closer and striving to cover all of her body with his, as if protecting her. "There were way too many of them for us to take on. I need you to do something for me." He sighed deeply and took a silvery cloak out of his pocket. "This is an invisibility cloak. I need you to wear it for me and leave, as quickly and quietly as you can. You can go find McGonagall or someone, but I need you out of here. I need to know you are safe." She looked at him intently for several moments, trying to understand why he was asking this of her.

_Is he really trying to protect me? Why would he do that unless… No, he must just not want me there, probably trying to play the hero by himself. Just like him, arrogantly trying to fight them all himself when there are clearly too many for him to take on all alone._

"James, I am not leaving you." He looked startled, that was the first time she had ever called him James.

"Please, Lily." He had a look of pleading in his eyes. And before she could answer him he had placed a swift kiss on her lips, wrapped the cloak around her, and pushed her down the hall away from the pack of Slytherins.

_Maybe he really is trying to protect me._ She pressed a hand to her mouth, still able to feel the heat of his lips on hers. It startled her how much that kiss had affected her, how much she suddenly seemed to miss the heat of his mouth on hers. But she brushed it off as having to do with the odd situation and the worry that something was going to happen to him. She momentarily forgot that never before had she ever worried about what would happen to James. _Well, I am not going to leave him._

She quickly followed after his retreating form. She watched quietly as he cockily faced all ten Slytherin boys, no fear evident in his eyes.

"Well, boys, it seems as if you lot are out after hours. And as Head Boy it is my duty to inform you that you all need to return to your dorms and that you have all lost ten house points."

"We aren't going to take orders from a filthy blood traitor." Snape answered back. "Where is your faithful Mudblood sidekick?"

"I would advise you not to talk about Ms. Evans in that way." There was a deadly note in his voice.

"What are you going to do about it?" Snape was sneering at him. And Lily, who was watching the exchange silently, hidden underneath James' cloak, could see the anger rising in James' face and the way his hand was clenched around his wand.

"Ten points for insulting the Head students, Snape, and detention." James slowly turned around, anxious to get back and make sure Lily was okay. Little did he know she was standing right next to him. _He is actually walking away from a fight! _ He didn't see Snape bring his wand up, though Lily did.

"Coward." Snape muttered, then he made to curse James' retreating back. But Lily let out a silent spell, which knocked the boy out before he could hurt the Head Boy. Then she deftly turned and knocked out the shocked Slytherins who were staring at their fallen leader.

James, hearing the boys fall behind him, quickly turned around in time to see the last few hit the ground.

"Lily!" He called desperately. "Lily, why didn't you leave! Are you okay? Where are you?" Lily, scared of the note of urgency in his voice, quickly drew the cloak off of herself.

"I couldn't very well let you face them all on your own, now could I?"

"Lily! Why did you come back? I could have dealt with anything they threw at me, but I could never deal with you being hurt."

She stared at him. _He really looks sincere. That is odd. But he couldn't expect me to actually leave him. I don't want him dead. I mean, I know I claim that I wouldn't care if he were dead or alive, but he can't think that I really mean that._

"Are you okay?" He was getting closer to her.

"I'm fine." He was only a few inches away now.

"Are you sure?" He slowly took her face in his hands, as if examining every inch to check if she really were okay.

She just nodded mutely. Satisfied, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long hug, then wordlessly let go and walked away from her, leaving her with her tumultuous thoughts and wondering why exactly she suddenly felt so cold.

A/N: I hope you liked! Things are going to get interesting soon.


	4. In Which Prongs is a Hero

Chapter 4: In Which Prongs is a Hero and Lily Makes a Decision

A few days later, Lily was wandering aimlessly through the grounds. She was out here, despite the chill in the wind, because she was desperately trying to avoid running into James. She wouldn't know what to say to him if she saw him, so she hoped to just avoid the whole awkward situation in the first place. She was slowly walking around the lake, lost in thought, when she looked up and realized that walking towards her was Snape, and he had his wand out, twirling it in his hands.

"Well, Mudblood, fancy meeting you here." She gritted her teeth in anger.

"Don't call me that, Snape. And I have every right to be here."

"Oh, yes, I was simply commenting on my great fortune in finding you here, and alone nonetheless. Very rare that I see you without your faithful Potter tagging along."

"Potter has nothing to do with me."

"His misfortune." She stared at him incredulously, _What is he talking about?_ "You see, I have been meaning to speak with you, alone."

"Well," she answered coldly, "we are alone now." _Unfortunately!_

"Yes, quite." With a casual flick he summoned her wand out of her pocket and threw it lazily behind him. He stepped closer to her, and Lily slowly realized that his eyes were sweeping up and down her figure heatedly. She shivered uncomfortably. "I have a proposition for you, Evans. I have the power to make it so that no one will look down on you for your blood again, to make it so that your pathetic Muggle family will never be harmed, but…" his grin grew almost predatory, "I will be wanting something in return."

"And what would that be?" She wasn't really considering his offer, she simply wanted to know what he wanted out of her.

"Oh, I think you know." He stepped even closer. "For a Mudblood, you really are quite beautiful."

"Get away from me, Snape."

"Oh, I don't think I will. After all, there are just the two of us here, no one to help you." His voice lowered dangerously. "No one to hear you scream."

Lily turned to run away from him, but she had only got a few steps when she found herself in the air, with Snape's wand trained on her. And then he dropped her harshly to the ground. She was trying to blink away the stars in her eyes when she looked up and saw a brilliant white stag standing in between her and Snape. The stag had his teeth barred and was growling at the frightened boy, then it chased Snape away from Lily before slowly and cautiously walking towards her. _My Patronus… and his sides are foaming. The poor thing must have run hard to get here in time. _It slowly walked closer to her.

"Thank you." Lily whispered quietly. _He really is beautiful. And he has the most beautiful hazel eyes. They look a little familiar, where have I seen those eyes before?_

As Lily was staring into his eyes, James quietly transformed back into himself. He watched as Lily's face was overshadowed by amazement and confusion.

"Hey, Evans."

"You… but… you saved me… and you're an animagus…" _and you're my Patronus. Why are you my Patronus?_

"Are you alright?"

"I don't really know if I can walk. He dropped me a little hard."

"I'll carry you." _Of course you will. You're always there for me, to do anything I need. Maybe that's why you are my Patronus. But… I still don't understand. I don't even like you…_

She nodded mutely, and simply watched him as he slowly stepped forward, handed her her wand, and lifted her easily into his arms, as if she weighed nothing at all. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest, and she allowed him to carry her back into the castle and to lay her quietly on a couch in their common room. Then he sat on the floor beside her, gently stroking her face.

"Are you going to be okay, Lily?"

"Yeah, I think he just scared me, is all." She briefly closed her eyes. "Thank you, James, for rescuing me."

"What was I supposed to do? Let the greasy git get his hands on you? Not bloody likely."

She was looking into his eyes, those large hazel eyes, and before she realized what was happening he was once more kissing her hungrily and passionately. Throwing all rational thoughts out of her mind, Lily slid off the couch to sit next to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Emboldened by this, James gently ran his tongue along her lips, begging for entrance. _Oh, wow! Is he really doing that? Is he really trying to get me to open my mouth? Hmmm, must think about this. I certainly enjoy his kisses, maybe if I were to open my mouth they would be even better. I mean, I've never actually done that before but I hear that it makes kissing so much more amazing. Oh, hell. What is there to lose. _And surprisingly, Lily let him. She let him slowly explore her mouth. She let his arms deftly wrap around her small waist, drawing her whole body into his. She let him run his hands slowly up and down her sides, sending tingles of electricity racing down her spine. She let him kiss her until there came a knock at the door. And long after the highly embarrassed and awkward James had left with Sirius, Lily sat on the floor, shocked and confused, trying to make sense of the feelings coursing through her body, and desperately missing the feel of his lips on hers and the warmth and comfort of his arms wrapped around her.

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Later that night, Lily was sitting on the couch in their common room, still running through the events of recent weeks in her mind. She was slowly starting to realize that she thoroughly enjoyed kissing James Potter, that she reveled in the feeling of being in his arms, that she craved the thrill of staring into his beautiful hazel eyes. But, of course, she thought this was all a passing fancy that was simply brought on by the fact that he had many times come to her rescue. It was probably just the natural feelings that anyone who is rescued has towards their rescuer. Nothing more. It couldn't be anything more.

At that moment, James walked in, and at the sight of Lily he stopped dead. His eyes got large as saucers and he stood there looking at her for several minutes, before he bolted into his room.

_Is it weird that I'm a little disappointed that he didn't kiss me right then. Why would he kiss me? He thinks I hate him. Well, that didn't stop him before. But then he seemed to just get caught up in the moment. Like he couldn't help himself. The other day, though, with the mistletoe, he actually wanted me to like him. Well that is never going to happen. Oh, man, why am I even thinking about this anyways. All of this because I got confused because of a couple of kisses. You know, I should kiss him again, when there is no reason to, when he hasn't just saved my skin, just to see if I get the same feelings. Maybe I only felt like that because I was in that damsel-in-distress scenario, maybe if we were to just kiss under normal circumstances it wouldn't mean as much. Hmmm, I very much like this idea. I should share it with James…_

Lily walked cautiously to James' door and knocked quietly. After several minutes the door opened to reveal a shocked James.

"James, can we talk."

"Okay." _Man, he looks a little cute when he is confused. _He stepped out of his room, standing awkwardly in front of her.

"Well, I am a little confused because of what has happened, you know, between us recently." She was looking avidly at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm just a little unsure as to what I am feeling right now, and I've been trying to sort it all out, and… well… I was just thinking that it would help me a lot if I knew if the feelings I have were just a one time thing, brought on by the circumstances, or if they really are… well, real, so it would really help me if… um… maybe you could kiss me again, now, when you don't actually have to, and maybe then I could figure things out…"

James had been staring at her throughout her rambling speech with a look of incredulous disbelief on his face, but when she got to the part about kissing her again he slowly moved closer to her, and before she could say anything else he cut her off with a kiss.

_Oh wow! Sparks! I see sparks! And music! Do you think he can hear the music, too? Okay, so I appear to like being kissed by Potter. This of course does not mean that I like Potter. I just happen to be a little bit obsessed with being kissed by him. _

James pulled reluctantly away from her, and brought his eyes up to look in hers. He saw confusion, and a furious battle being fought inside. He had hoped that maybe she was serious, that maybe she might be starting to fall for him as he had long ago fallen for her, but she didn't seem to be reaching any conclusion any time soon. But, Merlin, was it heaven to kiss her.

_Wait! Why did he stop, he is not allowed to stop kissing me! Well we'll just see about that…_

Lily grabbed the front of his robes and brought his face back to hers, once again relishing in the bliss of being kissed by James Potter. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and slowly brought her arms up to the back of his neck.

_I always wondered what it would feel like to run my hands through his hair… Oh, I like that. _

James pulled his own hands through her long locks and gently tugged her head back so that he had more access to her mouth.

_Oh, Merlin! Yep, I'm definitely obsessed with this boy's kisses. Good thing he likes me, and all. I bet I can get him to kiss me all the time. And that will certainly be enjoyable. _

As she gently opened her mouth beneath James', allowing his tongue to enter, a thrill went down James' spine. He slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her even closer to him, as he delved the recess of her mouth.

_Oh, my. I didn't know you could do that with your tongue. But I certainly like it… _

They stood for several minutes, relishing in the joy they felt, when James finally pulled away, panting slightly. He gently took her hand and led her over to sit down on the couch, then he turned to face her.

"Lily… um… what is going on here? Does this mean you want to go out?" Her eyes shot open, and he could see a look of pure and unadulterated fear on her face.

"No," she said slowly. "I'm not really sure right now. I'm definitely not ready to date you right now. And I don't really want anyone else knowing about this, at least not yet. But I can't deny the fact that I really like kissing you." She paused for several seconds, as if deep in thought._ Why does this have to be so darn complicated!_ "Maybe… maybe we could just stay like this for a little while. No commitment yet, just enjoying each others'… um… company."

He looked at her carefully. That wasn't really what he wanted. With her, he wanted it all. The commitment, the public displays of affection, all the things that normal guys were scared out of their minds of. He wanted it all, he wanted all of her, but she wasn't ready to give him that yet. And he couldn't deny that kissing her was sheer ecstasy. Maybe it would be okay if they just kept things the way they were for awhile. At least he would get to kiss her, and she would come around eventually, she had to.

"I can live with that."

"Good." She smiled up at him, then pulled him towards her. "Now, where were we?"

"Here." He responded eagerly, as he once more attacked her mouth with his own and allowed his hands to caress down her sides.

A/N: Poor James! We'll see how long he lasts before this drives him crazy…


	5. In Which James Has Had Enough

Chapter 5: In Which James Has Had Enough

James lived with the current situation with Lily for several months. He didn't actually like the fact that she seemed to be completely ignoring him whenever they weren't alone in the privacy of their common room, but those times in the common room more than made up for it. James noticed that some days Lily seemed to find meaningless excuses to get him alone, and she could barely wait until the portrait hole closed before nearly throwing herself at him. These days her kisses would be fierce and demanding. Other days, she seemed to be shy and withdrawn, and he would have to coax her out of her bedroom. On those days James would usually just hold her in front of the fire, not pushing her too hard.

But the situation outside of their common room was getting desperate. James had contrived to be her partner in several classes, and had loudly insisted that they sit in the back so that he could sleep through class. In actual fact, however, he wanted to sit in the back so that he could try to hold her hand under the table without the risk of anyone else seeing. Lily typically allowed this, but only because it put him in a good mood, and when James was in a good mood all day he could hardly wait to get her into their common room that night. As soon as the portrait shut behind her, he would appear out of nowhere, slam her body against the wall and hungrily attack her lips. And Lily found that thoroughly enjoyable, to say the least.

However, Lily could sense that James was barely controlling his desire for something more. And for some reason she still wouldn't give it to him. She refused to let their relationship become public.

This was the situation on one cold day towards the end of January. Lily and James were sitting in Charms, their last class of the day. Once again, the two were at the very back of the class and James had her hand firmly clasped in his. She was diligently taking notes with her free hand and listening to Flitwick when she abruptly stopped. James was caressing her thigh, and she suddenly found it nearly impossible to concentrate. She shot him a warning look, but he merely smiled cheekily and continued rubbing his hand up and down her leg.

Lily turned beat red. But she couldn't stop herself from admitting that she very much enjoyed the feeling of his hand on her leg. _We are in class, for goodness sake!_ She glared at him and slid her chair out of his reach. She tried to focus her attention back on Flitwick, but she didn't miss the look of hurt that flitted across James' face, or the moody look that replaced it. Nor could she deny the way he acted all through dinner, as if his heart had been torn to shreds. This was the reason that she claimed Head Duties in order to drag him back towards their room. Once there, however, James only sat moodily on the couch, staring into the fire.

"James, what's wrong?"

"I can't do it anymore, Lily." He answered, without even looking at her.

"Do what?"

"This. I can't stand only having you half of the time. I want you, and I want to be able to tell the whole world that I have you." She didn't respond. "You are just using me, and I'm in love with you." _Oh… I didn't realize… he can't really feel that way…_

"James," she forced herself to speak after several minutes of awkward silence. "I'm not just using you. I really do like you. I just can't… not yet. Please, James." _Why can't he understand? I do like him, I do want to be with him, but I can't deal with the complications this relationship would bring. Stupid boy! Why can't he be normal… most guys would be thrilled to have a girl who just wants to snog them with no strings attached. But no, I had to fall for the one guy who actually wants commitment._

"I want you, Lily." _Well duh, what does he think we've been doing?_

"And you have me." _Hello! I can hardly keep my hands off of you! And I am most definitely obsessed with your kisses. Don't you see that?_

"No, Lily. I want all of you." _Hmmm… I think I might be able to do something about that. Seeing as how I desperately want him, too._

Lily slowly got up from her seat, and sat gently on his lap, her slender legs wrapping around his waist. She slowly cupped her hands around his face and turned his head so that he was looking at her. Slowly, she kissed her way down his firm jaw line, making her way to his mouth. She softly kissed his lips, then pulled away a fraction of an inch.

"Then take me," she whispered against his lips.

His reaction was violent. In one swift motion he had pulled her to him and smoothly lowered her to the couch. He was kissing her hungrily, desperately. He began forcefully kissing down her neck, and he didn't stop when he reached the collar of her blouse. Deftly unbuttoning each button as he came to it, he slowly kissed his way down to her navel. Then he slid the shirt off her shoulders. Looking at her hungrily, he slowly stood up and scooped her into his arms. Then he carefully carried her into his room and placed her gently on his bed, before once more climbing on top of her and kissing her hungrily, his hands running up and down the smooth skin of her back. After several minutes she gently pushed him away.

"You don't get all the fun, you know."

She slowly let her hands trail down to the edge of his shirt. Then she deftly pushed him off of her and pulled herself on top of him, so that she was straddling him. Slowly, she pulled his shirt up inch by inch, planting hot kisses whenever more of his well-toned stomach was revealed. Soon, she had pushed the shirt over his head, and was lying on top of him, her body pressed up tightly against his. As her lips once more found his, tongues sweetly mating, his hands ran up and down her trembling body. Quickly, they found their way to the clasp of her bra, but here he hesitated. He flipped her over so that he was on top of her, and he looked intently into her eyes. Then, shaking himself, he slowly got off of her body and retreated across his room to the bathroom, pausing at the door to once more turn and look at her.

"No, Lily. When I said I want all of you, I meant all. No less. If you don't want to truly date me, if you are afraid to let the world see us together, then we should stop this." And with one last longing look at her, he quickly retreated into the bathroom and locked the door.

Lily lay curled up on his bed, knees pulled into her chest protectively, and she cried. And lonely, hurt, and shivering, she cried herself to sleep. An hour later, James quietly immerged from the bathroom. He quietly picked up her sleeping form and carried her to her own bed, then gently tucked her in. And before he left, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and murmured in her ear. And when Lily woke up the next morning she could have sworn she had heard James whisper to her. She could have sworn he said "Lily, I love you, but we can't be together until you love me back."

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Lily spent two days crying in her room, pretending to be sick. She spent two days trying to figure out what it was she wanted. She knew James wanted a real relationship, and she knew she was hesitant. What she couldn't figure out was why. Those two days without him were torture. She missed the feel of being in his arms, she missed the way he kissed her hungrily after a long day at school, and she missed the spark that ran through her every time he touched her. She missed the way he looked at her, as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. She missed the way he could always brighten her day. She missed the way he seemed to know what mood she was in, and the fact that he never, until last night, had asked for more than he knew she would willingly give.

It took her two days to realize that she simply missed him, and for her to realize that she really was falling in love with James Potter. And when she finally came to this realization she made a decision. She was scared of a relationship, and the best way she could think of to get over this was to get to really know James. She needed to be his friend before she could be his girlfriend. And so even though it would kill her to not be able to kiss him, even though she was practically aching for him, she needed to try and get to know him, and she needed to do it openly, where everyone could see.

Accordingly, the next morning, when James emerged from his room, she was waiting for him. This was the first time she had seen him in two days, and he didn't look very good. She could tell that he had barely slept and she could see the look of desperate loss that haunted his eyes. Determined, she explained to him that she had decided that she needed to get to know the real him, and that she wanted to be friends. She watched him carefully as he regarded her, and she could see a faint flicker of hope in his eyes. Then he smiled at her, not a real smile—it didn't reach his eyes, but a smile nonetheless.

"I would love to be friends with you, Lily." Then he offered her his arm. "May I escort my new friend to breakfast?"

A/N: Hmmm… how long will it take Lily to come to her senses…


	6. In Which Lily is in Love

Chapter 6: In Which Lily is in Love

To say that the student body was shocked when Lily and James walked down to breakfast together, talking and laughing like friends, was a bit of an understatement. In reality, they were flabbergasted. Even the teachers watched in shocked silence as the two Head students sat next to each other and laughed gaily together. They had become accustomed to seeing them together, but the two—or at least Lily—always acted as if the two shared nothing but a mutual hatred. However, today they appeared to have put all that behind them and were simply enjoying each others company. Only Dumbledore did not seem shocked. But then, Dumbledore had the added benefit that the portraits inside the Heads' common room reported directly to him. So instead of being shocked, he was simply pleased that Lily seemed to be attempting to truly befriend James.

James and Lily soon became nearly inseparable. They discovered that when they weren't fighting or ignoring each other they really did get on quite splendidly. Lily even became friends with the other Marauders. And the Marauders discovered much to their surprise that Lily was actually quite brilliant at coming up with pranks, though she did insist that no one ever got hurt.

The two would spend hours talking, and for the first time in seven years they truly began to understand each other. Lily told James about Petunia and how she had always been trying to prove to the Wizarding world that she really did belong there; James confided in Lily the Marauder's history and his fears for Remus' future and for Sirius' ability to live a normal life despite his dark family. For over a month the two friends spent every waking minute together.

But life was not all easy. There were days when James would go uncharacteristically sullen and Lily would catch him staring at her hungrily and desperately. And on Valentine's Day James locked himself away in his room. He could not bear to see all the other happy couples while pretending that he wasn't desperately jealous. Lily, finding herself sad at James' absence, spent the day miserably quiet. But at dinner a single rose was delivered to her with a small note bearing the message "I still love you" without a signature. But Lily knew who it was from. Clutching her rose to her, she fled from the Great Hall in tears and barricaded herself in her bedroom. It was that night that she realized that she really did love James, and from then on she began to silently work up the courage to do what needed to be done. She knew she would have to prove herself to him, and she knew that she would have to do it publicly.

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The morning of the first day of March dawned bright and sunny, the first clear day in weeks. That morning Lily woke up with the determination that she was going to get James back no matter what it took. And so she hastily threw her hair up in a messy ponytail and rushed out of her room, anxious to find him.

James was sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast when Lily plopped down in the seat next to him.

"Morning, James," she said happily, giving him a quick hug. James froze, that was the first time she had hugged him in over a month, ever since that night… But he shook himself and turned to her with a smile.

"You're in a good mood this morning."

"Yep."

"Care to enlighten me as to why?"

"Nope."

"Okay." He said, turning back to his breakfast.

But James noticed that Lily was acting oddly all throughout the day. She was finding every opportunity to touch him, and she was constantly smiling at him. He was slightly confused, for he knew what he wanted this to mean, but he wouldn't allow himself to think that. And besides, he had long ago made a promise to himself that Lily would have to prove to him that she wanted more when she was ready. He had gotten to really know her this last month, and he had, if possible, fallen even more in love with her, but he remained firm. He wanted all of her, and he wanted her to willingly give it to him. So in the meantime he would wait.

He didn't have long to wait.

It was Friday, and their last class of the day was Charms. Once more, he and Lily were sitting in the very back of the room, though this time it was because she had dragged him there. This was odd, but James had long ago learned to stop trying to analyze the way that Lily's mind worked. He was sitting quietly, idling drawing on his notebook while Flitwick droned on about useful household charms when he felt a thrill run through his whole body. Lily had taken his hand in hers. With a shock James looked up to see her smiling shyly at him. With a pained look he withdrew his hand from hers and placed it firmly on top of the desk, in plain view of anyone who happened to look their direction. But Lily didn't even seem fazed. She smiled at him and turned her attention back to Flitwick.

But several minutes later James was shocked to find that her small foot was gently caressing his leg. Taking a deep and calming breath, he quietly pushed his chair to the side, out of her reach. Lily only smiled at him; the irony of the situation was not lost on her.

By the time class ended James was thoroughly disconcerted. Lily was driving him mad, and he desperately wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, but he kept reminding himself that he had made a decision and he needed to stick to it. But this didn't stop him from bolting the second class was over, leaving Lily quietly smiling to herself. He was going to make her go through with the whole plan, but that was okay—she no longer cared what others saw or thought.

An hour later she walked through the doors of the Great Hall and smiled when she saw James sitting with his friends. Despite the events of that afternoon, or maybe because of them, he still had a seat saved for her next to him. She quietly sat down next to him.

"Hi James!"

"Hey, Lil."

"How has your day been?"

"Um…" he was watching her confusedly, she had flustered him, "alright…"

She beamed at him. She loved how she was driving him mad, and it wasn't over yet. She quietly filled her plate and began to eat, occasionally sneaking glances at him. He was clearly uncomfortable and barely eating. Still eating, she slid her hand under the table and gently began rubbing it up and down his thigh. She smiled when she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"Are you alright James?" She asked him innocently, her hand still resting on his leg.

"Y-yes," he sputtered, while watching her with wide eyes as his face turned beet red. She merely smiled at him, somewhat mischievously. Then she turned back to her food.

A few minutes later Lily felt a small tap on her shoulder. Smiling to herself, she turned to see a tall boy with wavy blonde hair standing behind her. This was the twin brother of a friend of hers, but as he was in Ravenclaw James did not know of their mutual connection. Lily had enlisted his help earlier that morning.

"Yes?" she asked him politely.

"Lily, I was wondering if maybe you would want to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

"I would love to, Tom," she felt James' whole body stiffen beside her, "only I can't."

"Oh," Tom was doing a very good job of looking sad, but next to her James could barely contain his grin. "Why not?" 

"Because, I'm in love with someone else." James began to silently shake, the grin sliding off his face rather quickly.

"Oh, alright. Well thanks anyways, Lily."

"Bye, Tom."

Lily quietly turned back to the table to see the eyes of all four Marauders trained on her intently.

"Who are you in love with, Lily?" James asked quietly, his voice barely audible.

"You, you dolt."

James starred at her, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"What did you say?" He was shaking visibly now, and Lily smiled sweetly at him, then deftly brought his face down to her level and kissed him.

"I said I love you," she whispered in his ear, then quickly stood up. "See you later, boys. James, maybe we'll catch up later, okay?"

And she walked away, leaving James sitting in a shocked stupor. He slowly shook his head as if attempting to return to sanity, and then he looked up hesitantly at his friends.

"Did she just kiss me? In front of everyone?"

"Looks that way, mate." Sirius responded.

"Right." James still sat, unmoving.

"Prongs? What are you still doing here?" This from Remus.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," the werewolf answered carefully. "It seems that Lily just told you she loves you, kissed you, and then pointedly told you she would see you later. Now, to me that means that you should probably follow her…"

James nodded, still in a daze, and nearly tripped in his haste to run out of the Great Hall after Lily. He arrived in front of their room completely out of breath and leaned against the wall, trying to calm himself down and regain control of his breathing and rapidly beating heart. Then he slowly pushed the portrait hole open.

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Lily was pacing nervously in front of the fire of her common room. She had done her part. She had openly admitted how she felt about James and kissed him in full view of the entire school, she only hoped she wasn't too late. She thought it had been pretty obvious that she had invited James to follow her, but she had been here for several minutes and he still wasn't here. She had thought he would bolt after her, but apparently she had been wrong. Maybe he had decided that he didn't love her anymore. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to date her anymore. She was so absorbed in these thoughts that she didn't hear when the portrait swung open and James quietly stepped in. She didn't notice him until he had walked up behind her and slowly slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back up against his chest. Her breath hitched when he lowered his head to slowly whisper in her ear.

"Lils, want to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

She smiled happily and slowly turned around in his arms until she was looking up into his face.

"I would love to, James."

"Good, because I wasn't going to take no for an answer this time."

She smiled up at him sweetly and closed her eyes happily as his face descended towards hers, his lips enveloping hers in a sweet kiss. _Oh man, I missed this…_

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! This is the second to last chapter… (sighs mournfully).


	7. In Which James Makes a Promise

Chapter 7: In Which James Makes a Promise

Lily woke up the next day, and it took her several minutes to realize where she was. She was wrapped contentedly in James' arms—they had fallen asleep on the couch the night before, happily entangled in each others arms. But when she did realize where she was she snuggled happily into James' chest, unwilling to get up and have to leave his embrace. It was only then that she realized that James was awake and had been watching her sleep.

"Did you know you're dazzling?" he asked quietly as he gently pushed wayward strands of her hair off of her face.

"No," she responded sleepily. "But feel free to tell me as often as you like."

"Do we have to get up?" he asked a few minutes later. "I'm quite content to stay here all day."

"Not a chance, Potter. I want the chance to show off my new boyfriend."

"If you insist." He shrugged lazily, but Lily could see the way his eyes lit up at the word boyfriend.

Half an hour later the two walked hand-in-hand into the Great Hall. They were so engrossed in each other they didn't notice that everyone had stopped talking to stare incredulously at them. Indeed, they didn't notice anything all day, not when the entire village of Hogsmeade watched them walk hand-in-hand down the street, not when they drank Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks and laughed together in a corner, nor when they ate dinner in the Great Hall sitting next to each other and laughing happily. The two were too happy to notice anything but each other.

After eating dinner, James whispered something in Lily's ear and then got up and led a blushing Lily out of the Great Hall. He paused once the door had shut behind him and gently pushed Lily against the stone wall. He allowed his hands to gently trace up from her waist to the smooth silk of her brilliant red hair. And as he gently wound his hands into the glorious curls he tugged gently so that her head tilted back, allowing him easier access to her mouth.

Several heated minutes later, when James had stopped the attack on Lily's mouth and was instead ruthlessly trailing down her long thin neck, Lily reluctantly pushed him away from her.

"This might not be the best place for this. We might permanently scar some of the younger children, dear. No matter how enjoyable this is."

This did not seem to faze James, as he simply took her hand in his and quietly led her to their Common Room. Once there James smiled cheekily at her before gently pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Why, Mr. Potter! Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Quite possibly."

"Then I should inform you, that this is not the best method to go about doing so."

"And why not, pray tell?"

"Because, you're still talking." James pulled her whole body flush to his, possessively running his hands up and down her back, and lowered his head to whisper against her lips.

"That can be rectified." Then he closed the remaining distance to kiss her hungrily.

Quite soon James had scooped Lily into his arms and carried her once more to his bedroom. After softly placing her on his bed he crawled on top of her and asked huskily,

"Now where was it we left off?"

"Hmm…" she whispered, in mock forgetfulness, her fingers tracing patterns on the strong arms enclosing her. "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps we should just start at the beginning again."

"I like the way you think, Evans."

And so once more, James kissed his way happily down Lily's neck and began to deftly unbutton her shirt. He left a trail of hot kisses down to her navel, with Lily arching her back in order to bring her body closer to his. But before he could slip her shirt off her shoulders, she shook her head at him and flipped him over. Then she crawled off the bed.

James' face fell, and disappointment took over his lust-filled eyes. But Lily merely smiled coyly at him.

"I'll be right back."

And she walked towards her room, swaying her hips seductively as she went, leaving James staring hungrily after her retreating form. Five minutes later she reentered the room, clad in a long silk nighty with barely any top and even less back.

"Being as you waited so long for me, I thought you deserved a little… present." She whispered, thrilled at the look of pure and unadulterated desire crossing James' face.

"I do so love it when you give me presents."

As she walked towards him, all James could do was stare. Then she slowly crawled up his body, bringing his shirt with her, until she had finally slid it over his head and met his lips in a passionate kiss. Her hands were lightly running over his chest and stomach, setting his nerves on fire and her playful touch.

As James ran his hands happily over the thin silk separating his hands from her body he groaned against her mouth.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, but a girl can never hear it too much. Now, why are you still talking?"

James responded by burying his head in her neck and slowing slipping his hands up under the smooth silk. As he slowly kissed his way up her neck on his way towards her mouth his hands carefully traced up her long legs. He once more sought her mouth, as his hands continued their way up her body, running his hands lovingly and possessingly over her chest as he reached it. Then, pulling away from her tantalizing mouth he smoothly slid her slip over her head and pulled her now naked form closer into his. His hands explored the smooth skin of her back as she deftly got him out of his trousers and quickly disposed of his boxers. Then, skin-to-skin, the two made love repeatedly through the night, pausing only to regain their strength.

Early the next morning, and exhausted, James lay with his arms wrapped tightly around Lily's waist.

"Lily, will you promise me something?" James asked quietly, each word punctuated with sweet and tender kisses on her bare shoulders and back.

"How can I resist the man I love?"

"Never leave me again."

Lily turned gently in his arms until she was facing him.

"Only if you promise never to stop kissing me like that."

"As if I've ever been able to resist you." He pulled her gently towards him and kissed her passionately, sliding his tongue in to once more explore her mouth. "And since you seem to enjoy my kissing you so much, I might just have to oblige you."

He lovingly kissed her neck and chest, causing Lily to moan with pleasure.

"I thought you were tired."

"Oh, I am. But I'm not going to let a trifle like that stop me from kissing you for the next several hours."

She beamed at him and pulled him roughly up to once more meet her mouth. And for the next few hours he was good as his word and held her close and kissed her hungrily, relishing in the knowledge that Lily Evans was completely his, and thoroughly enjoying himself while kissing the redhead.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my little short story. Alas, we have reached the end, but let me know what you think. It will help me in future stories. And enjoy Deathly Hallows!


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